1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to binders, and more particularly to a tamper-proof binder with a plurality of clear plastic envelope sheets which receive photographs and the like and are sealed on three exposed sides and are substantially permanently secured in the binder to prevent unauthorized removal of the envelopes or contents thereof.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Professional photographers and photography studios sometimes have a problem when sending "proof" photographs to their clients for approval. In some cases, after receiving the proofs, a client will take the proof photographs to another, less expensive printer and have finished copies made to avoid paying the studio costs. It would therefore be desirable to provide an attractive inexpensive "tamper-proof" binder in which photographers and photography studios may place their proof photographs and give to their client for approval and which would prevent unauthorized removal of the photographs and pages contained therein.
Tamper-proof binding systems are known in the art and there are several patents which disclose various binders having permanent fastener and/or spine constructions. The prior art constructions do not provide an envelope which will receive and display photographs and the like and which when secured in the spine of the binder will prevent unauthorized removal of the envelope and/or its contents.
Van Sickle, U.S. Pat. No. 635,409 and Horn, U.S. Pat. No. 2,560,110 disclose temporary binders utilizing threaded or serrated locking pins which lock or release upon rotation and allow the leaves or pages of the binder to be easily removed and replaced or additional pages inserted.
Dawson, U.S. Pat. No. 1,726,810 and Stein, U.S. Pat. No. 1,836,20 disclose loose-leaf binders utlizing telescoping posts and sliding latch bar mechanisms which allow pages to be easily and quickly removed or added.
Proudfit, U.S. Pat. No. 1,746,911 discloses a loose-leaf binder utilizing releasable plates having telescoping posts which allow pages to be removed or added.
Unger, U.S. Pat. No. 1,889,230 discloses a loose-leaf binder which allows pages to be easily and quickly removed or added and utlizes telescoping posts and has a sliding latch bar mechanism housed within a metal looped sheath and covered with fabric.
Serdechny, U.S. Pat. No. 3,251,260 discloses two-piece adjustable length fasteners having male and female shanks with barb-like mating surfaces which when pressed together are substantially permanently locked in the assembled state.
Muller, U.S. Pat. No. 4,175,880 discloses a pair of opposed binding strips each having stringing rods and sleeves extending therefrom in mutually alternating sequence and having a mutual spacing corresponding to the spacing of aligned holes in the materials to be bound. The rods have exterior detents and the sleeves have interior detents which are permanently engaged when the strips are pressed together.
Sun et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,730,972 discloses a two part binding system which includes one or more bifurcated posts integrally extending from a clamping strip. The posts are inserted through the stack of material to be bound and a second clamping strip having one or more latching buttons is inserted over the posts. The buttons and posts have toothed surfaces which are engaged when pressed together. In normal usage the connection is permanent, however, the user may manually with a tweezer-like tool unlock the binder.
The present invention is distinguished over the prior art in general, and these patents in particular by a tamperproof binder having a C-shaped rectangular spine into which a plurality of clear plastic envelopes carrying photographs or the like are secured. The envelopes are permanently sealed on three side edges and open only on one side which is secured in the spine to prevent the photos from being removed. The spine has an upper T-shaped longitudinal slot on the underside of the top wall and a lower longitudinal slot on the top side of the bottom wall and a counterbored hole extends through the bottom wall into the lower slot. The envelopes have holes spaced along the open side edge which receive three headed fasteners. The heads of the fasteners are slidably received in the T-shaped slot of the spine and the shafts of the two end fasteners are received in the lower slot at the bottom of the spine. The center fastener is a permanent two-part fastener with a head at both ends and the shaft portions engage each other to prevent the fastener from being pulled apart after being pressed together. The head of one piece of the two-piece fastener is slidably received in the T-shaped slot and the other headed piece is received in the hole at the bottom of the spine and the pieces are pressed together. Thus, a plurality of envelopes containing photographs and the like are sealed on all three exposed sides and are substantiallY "permanently" secured in the spine to prevent unauthorized removal of the photos or the envelopes.